Culture Clash
by tinylexie
Summary: This is for the third round of alyssialui's Twister Challenge. In this round we had to pick an AU. I chose High School. Summary: The first meeting between Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black at Hogwarts High.


**Author's Note****: This is for the third round of alyssialui's Twister Challenge. In this round we had to pick an AU. I chose High School. I've been wanting to write a fluffy Lucissa fic for some time now, and putting them in a high school setting was just too much of an opportunity to pass up on. I still can't believe, though, that I'm actually going to be writing a Lucissa fluff. I am an angst lover. I don't write much fluff, LOL. But I figured that even Lucius and Narcissa deserve some fluff in their lives.  
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**Even though this is a high school AU, I also decided that there wouldn't be any magic in this AU either. I wanted to write Lucius and Narcissa in an ordinary high school. Also, in this AU Lucius comes from a wealthy family while Narcissa comes from a more middle-class family.**

**Also, Andromeda is the oldest Black sister in this AU instead of the middle sister as she is in canon. It just worked better for this fic for her to be the oldest.**

* * *

Lucius, a high school sophomore, didn't understand why his father had needed the new job. Hadn't Abraxas Malfoy already been making enough money? Had he really needed a higher-paying job? Just how much money did Abraxas Malfoy really need?

Lucius had been very happy at Durmstrang High. His name had been one that every student had known, feared, and respected. There had been no one at Durmstrang who would have ever dared to challenge Lucius Malfoy. In fact, every student had wanted to be his best friend.

And his father just had to ruin everything. His father's new job had meant moving to a new city and to a new high school.

Hogwarts High.

Lucius hated Hogwarts from the moment he first saw it. For one thing, the building's architecture was simply awful and uninspiring. Durmstrang, on the other hand, had been a true work of art.

For another thing, the students at Hogwarts were so low-class. They dressed with no pride. In fact, many of them dressed like beggars. They were nothing at all like the sophisticated Durmstrang students.

Lucius felt very out of place in his expensive, tailored clothes. All the other students didn't seem to mind that their clothes were baggy or that their clothes looked as if they had been slept in.

It was not long before Lucius felt the other students looking at him as if _he _was the odd one.

Lucius just wanted to take off running and to go hide somewhere, but he had been better raised than that. He had been raised to show to the world nothing but pride and absolute confidence in himself. So, Lucius just met each student's eyes and sneered at them. To his relief and joy, they quickly looked elsewhere. This was good. At least he had not lost his ability to be intimidating.

Lucius's joy at being intimidating quickly faded, however. His friends at Durmstrang may not have been real friends, but at least he had been a part of a group and a part of something. Here at Hogwarts, Lucius had no one. He was no one. He was nothing but the new rich boy.

Feeling rather dejected, Lucius found himself a place in the cafeteria where he could eat alone. He felt several students watching him as he walked, but when he glanced their way, they quickly looked away. It was only his first day, but he already knew that he never wanted to return. Somehow he would find a way to talk some sense into his father. He had to, for his own sanity.

* * *

"Cissy, if you want to ever have any friends, you're going to have to do something to stand out," Bellatrix Black tried to explain to her younger sister. "Right now, you're just so bland and boring. Now look at me. There's nothing bland or boring about me."

Narcissa looked up at her older sister. Bellatrix Black. Big senior Bellatrix Black. Out-of-control hair that couldn't be tamed. Black clothes. Black lipstick. Black fingernail polish. Black everything. Bellatrix Black. The most feared student at Hogwarts. She couldn't be controlled. She couldn't be tamed. She was Bellatrix Black, and she was going to do whatever she wanted. She didn't care about the consequences of her actions. Rules were beneath her.

Narcissa, on the other hand, was just a shy little freshman. She didn't dress uniquely. All she ever did to her hair was wash it twice a week and comb it before going to school each morning. She never did anything to draw attention to herself. She was always polite to the teachers, and she usually made all A's in her classes; but she wasn't a teacher's pet either. Narcissa was just Narcissa. She was no one special. She was just there. She was just her.

Narcissa sighed. She wished that her other sister, Andromeda, was there. Andromeda was more sympathetic and a lot nicer. Andromeda stood out in a crowd like Bellatrix did, but for completely different reasons. While Bellatrix had a reputation for being loud and for beating up anyone who made her upset, Andromeda had been known to always be kind and generous. She had even been willing to take time after school to tutor struggling students.

Unfortunately for Narcissa, though, Andromeda had graduated two years ago; and she was no longer in the city. No, Andromeda was currently staying at a college dorm in a city that was a two-hour drive away. Narcissa and Andromeda talked on the phone every weekend and they sent each other at least one email a day, but it just wasn't the same.

Narcissa really missed Andromeda. Oh, Narcissa knew that Bellatrix loved her in her own special way, but there was no way that Bellatrix could ever be the source of comfort and support that Andromeda had been.

"Cissy, are you listening to me?" Bellatrix asked, interrupting Narcissa's thoughts. "I am trying to help you here."

"I'm not going to start wearing all black, Bella," Narcissa snapped. "I'm not going to start being rude to everyone. I'm not going to start fights. I'm not you. I'm me."

"And that's why you have no friends," Bellatrix sneered. "You're a lost cause. I'll see you after school."

"You have detention after school," Narcissa reminded her.

"Fine, then, I'll see you after detention." With that, Bellatrix strolled off, as if she owned the place. Which, in a way, she did.

Narcissa sighed. There was no way that she could ever be anything like Bellatrix. Sighing again, Narcissa made her way towards the cafeteria. It was time for lunch.

* * *

Everywhere was full. There was honestly not a single empty seat in sight. Narcissa sighed. She was usually one of the first students to enter the cafeteria during her lunch period, but Bellatrix had held her up today.

Where was she going to sit? She wasn't a picky girl, but she really didn't want to sit on the floor either.

Narcissa looked around, hoping that somewhere there was still an empty seat.

Wait, there was. There was a small table in the corner with only one person sitting at it. A blond boy. But what really mattered to Narcissa was that there was an empty chair beside the boy.

Lunch tray in hand, Narcissa made her way towards the table. As she got closer, she realized that the boy was most likely the new rich kid that everyone had been talking about.

There was not a single strand of his long blond platinum hair out of place. His clothes, which looked like they had cost some money, had clearly been tailored to fit him perfectly.

Narcissa looked down at her clothes. Her shirt, while not expensive, did not look cheap either. In her opinion, it actually looked very nice. Her jeans, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. They were faded and torn at the bottom. And the holes in her knees definitely didn't help her case either.

And she wasn't even going to get started on her hair. It was just a tangled mess.

But it was either sit beside the nicely-dressed rich boy or sit on the floor, and there was no way that Narcissa was going to sit on the floor.

"Hello," she said politely to the boy. "May I sit here?"

The boy, a very handsome boy she couldn't help but think, gave her the up-and-down look. Narcissa knew that she was being judged, but she really wanted the seat.

"I'm very sorry to be bothering you," Narcissa tried again, "but there's nowhere else to sit. I'll leave you alone, I promise. I just want a place to sit down."

The boy looked at her for a long, intense moment with his piercing eyes. Very beautiful piercing eyes, though, Narcissa couldn't help but think.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boy finally nodded his head and motioned for her to take the seat beside him. Smiling gratefully, Narcissa sat down.

For several minutes, they both ate in silence, but they could both feel each other's eyes.

* * *

Lucius didn't know what to think. He had not been expecting anyone to approach him. Even at Durmstrang, there had not been many people who had willingly approached him. They had always waited for his permission first.

As for this girl, everything about her screamed low-class, but he had been taught the importance of manners. Besides, the girl wasn't too bad to look at. Her hair clearly had seen better days, but it was a very nice blond color. Almost as nice as his. And at least her hideous jeans were now hidden from sight. Lucius couldn't help but think that the girl could actually look very pretty if she would actually put some effort into her appearance. Her shirt was nice, though. It really bought out the color of her eyes.

Lucius blinked. What was wrong with him? He was not one to think much about girls. Besides, it wasn't like he had never before seen a pretty girl. There was nothing different about this one.

But even though this girl was clearly a little shy and embarrassed, she didn't appear to be afraid of him. Lucius wasn't use to this. At Durmstrang, all the girls had known that he was the son of Abraxas Malfoy. They had known that he was not a boy to be messed with.

Everything was truly different here at Hogwarts.

Lucius once again felt the girl looking shyly at him. He looked at her. To his surprise, she smiled, her face blushing in embarrassment. She quickly looked away, but it wasn't long before she was looking at him again.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Lucius finally asked, his voice half-polite, half-annoyed. "Because I really don't appreciate being stared at as if I was some sort of animal at the zoo."

To the girl's credit, she had the decency to look abashed. "I'm really sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just think that you're kind of cute." Blushing again in embarrassment, the girl quickly looked away.

Now Lucius really didn't know what to think. He had never before been called "kind of cute." He was supposed to be intimidating and scary, not kind of cute.

"I think I'll just get up now and go sit somewhere on the floor," the girl said next. "Have a nice day." To her credit, her voice was still polite and composed, even though she was clearly embarrassed. So, she wasn't completely without grace. That was a good thing.

The girl made to stand, but Lucius stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. The girl looked at him in surprise, but she didn't look unhappy or afraid. In fact, she actually looked slightly hopeful.

"No, you may stay," Lucius said. "It isn't as if anyone else is going to want to sit there anyways." Years of training was the only thing that kept the bitterness out of his voice.

The girl smiled gratefully at him. Then, she began to eat again, as did Lucius. But both children continued to look at the other from the corner of their eye.

"I'm Narcissa Black," the girl spoke suddenly, offering her hand.

Lucius looked at her hand for several moments. It didn't look dirty or sticky, so he took it. "Lucius Malfoy," he offered in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Lucius," Narcissa smiled.

She really did have a beautiful smile, Lucius couldn't help but think.

"It's nice to meet you too, Narcissa."


End file.
